Side registering mechanism



Jan. 1, 1935. CROSS 1,986,253

SIDE REGISTERING MECHANISM Filed March 3, 1933 Z, lNVE NTOR Patented Jan. 1, 1935 I i *U mzbis'T -I I :"SI B GISTERING L HANIS Z Y I f Frank L. Cross, Port Washingtom-N. y,,assiii6r to Cross Paper Feeder Company, BOStQD,fM@SS-,

- a corporation of Massachusetts I A i e Ma tha. eerie l 9 6 3 claims. ilr'en 'se) The object of the present invention is to produce an improved sheet. registering mechanism in which a; suitable isheetmoving instrument will positively engage a sheet torr'nove it into po'sition against a' registering gage under the action of driving mechanism including an'adjustable slip friction which has .just'sufiicient power to carry the sheet into'registered position and will then stop'and-slip. The advantage ofthisimprovedsheet registering deviceis that there. will be no marring of the sheetbecau'se. the sheet engaging member will not slip on or upon the sheet, and, .whilein engagement with the sheet it will move onlywith the sheet and will stop when the sheet is stopped by reaching the-registering gage. v V V p The frictional slip, device, or clutch is arranged between the sheet'moving instrument. and the moving power, which latter maybe intermittent or constant and-capable of more or-less of an active stroke,, since the friction clutch permits the moving'instrument; to stop when the sheet reaches the registering gage.

In one form of the mechanism there are upper and lower feed rolls, one of which is in the form of a drop roller and one of which is engagedby an intermittently actuated friction clutch to impart a sheet moving stroke; In another form one of the feed rolls may be freely mounted upon a constantly rotating shaft with a friction clutch arranged between the shaft-andthe roll-to impart a feeding stroke which islimited by the engagement of the sheet with the registering gage, the clutch slipping when the sheet reaches its registered position. In any form the slip clutch must be between: the sheet-moving instrument and its driving-power so asto have any slip or yield in action take place outside of the engagement of theinstrument with the sheet.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, it will firstbedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawing and the; novelty afterwards pointed out more particularly in the annexed claims. I A i; V

In said drawing r p p V Figure '1 is an end elevation of the improved side registering; mechanism; 1 e a Figure 2 is a plan View of the same;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of; Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a similar view, partly in section, of a modified form of mechanism embodying the present invention.

The improved side registering mechanism has been primarily designed for mounting upon the conveyor; frame leadingfrom an automatic feedv ingmachineto a'printing press. Such conveyor frame includes one or more transverse frame bars such as indicated atzl on which the mechanism of the present improvement has been "mounted forillustrationfi. c

The main lower bracket 5. 'is provided with bracket arms 6 whichencoinpass and are adjustably mounted upon one of the conveyor frame bars 1. -.This'lower.ibracket 5 carriesthe guide plate .7 supportedjust beneathsthe plane of feed of sheets on the ordinary conveyor frame. The side registering. gage' block 8 is' mounted upon the sheet supporting lower'plate '7 atone side of the line of travel of sheetsli '1 a Projectingib'eneath the plate 7 are the bearing ears-i orbrackets 91 'inwhich is carried. a. short bearing pinlosuppo'rting the anti-friction bearingll of a lower-feed roll'l2' which rotates freely upon saidbearingwith its periphery in the plane of the upper surface of-th'elower plate '7.

The bracket'5 also 'supp'o'rt sthebearings 1 3' and 14 in' which rotatesaconstantly driven shaft 15 upon 'whicha're adjustablymounted the combined edgecamlB and barrel cam 17, {said cams being adjustably splin'ed upon the shaft li'between the 'bracketfbearings l3'and 1i. I Operating-*uponthe edge" cam l6 is an anti friction lroller 18' journalled in the lower bifurcated end 19 'ofa verticallyreciprocating plunger 20 whichhas beariiigs'a't Zlihthebracket 5 and fat 22' in the upwardly extending bracket arm'23jf {Ih'e upper end-pf the plunger 20 is engaged by an expansion spring 24 supported inthe bearing'22 and engaged by an'adju'sting screw bolt 25 threaded'into the upper end of bearing 22 and'heldin'the desired adjusted position by alock nut 2'6 threadeduponbolt 25 and engaging bearing 22. l I I Adjustably mounted upon the plunger 20 between bearings 21 and 22 is a horizontal bracket arm 27 with a rear split yoke 28 embrac n Plunger 2Gand'clamped thereon by screw bolt'29. This I bracket 27 projects inwardly to a point above the lower feed wheel 12. An uppersheetguiding plate or surface 30 isconnected by means of arms 31-withthe bracket ar'm 2'7,' the parts being adjusted to'pre sent the lower face of guide plate 30 in close relation to the upper face of lower guide plate'i', the spacing being just sufiicient" to permitthe free movement-of sheets S between plates 7 and 30 with reference to side gage 8.

Bracket arm 27 has a bifurcated inner end constituting spaced bearings 32 in which is freely journalled the bearing pin 33 carrying ball bear- 'oscillating yoke and position. a

ing 34 on which is freely joumalled the upper feed roll 35. The movement of plunger 20 causes the roll 35 to move toward and away from the lower feed roll 12 like a drop roller mechanism,

the upper guide plate or surface 30 being moved toward and away from the lower guide plate 7 by the same operation.

Secured upon the pin 33 just outside of the bearing arms 32 isan oscillatory yoke 36 carrying an outwardly projecting guide rod 37 upon which reciprocates a U-shaped member 38 carrying a slip clutch block 39 which is mounted between the arms of member 38 beneath the yoke 36' and rests in peripheral engagement with thef A .spiral spring 4 surupper drop roller 35. rounds the pin 37 and is adjustably confinedin engagement with the member'38 by means of an" adjustable screw nut 41. By adjusting the" nut 41 the spring pressure upon member 38 will cause,

the barrel cam 17; 9 V

' The operationwillibe-clear from the following explanation.

The side registering mechanism having been adjusted upon the conveyor frame tothe'desired position and the drop'roller 35 and upper pressure. plate30' together with the spring pressure of the brake block having been adjusted within the required range of operation, the sheets are fed upon the conveyor frame in the usual manner to cause each sheet to, pass at one edge be-'.

tween the lower guide plate '7 and. upper guide plate 30. As eachsheet is arrested at the, press front gages the ,drop roller 35 and upper pressure plate 30 are lowered upon the sheet and as the sheet is gripped between the upper;and-lower rollers (35,'12)the yoke3f6 carrying the slip clutch is oscillated-inwardlycausing the upper roller to turnon its bearings and by reason of its engagement with the sheet against the lower roller positivelyfeedthe sheet outwardly until the edge of the'sheet engages the sidegage 8 by which the sheet is arrested in registeredposition. In this operation the sheet is confinedby the upper and lower plates or surfaces 7 and ,30. Whenthe sheet engages the gage 8 the continued movement of the yoke 36 causes'the clutch block39 to slide upon the periphery of the drop roller 35 to the completion of the stroke, the upper and lower rollers, in the meantime resting stationarily upon the sheet. In this action the strength of the sheet between the grip .of the rollers and the side registering gage is sumcient to overcome the frictional engagement of the clutch block with the periphery of the drop roller. When the sheet is completely registered thedrop roller and upper guide-plate are raised-and the v brake return to normal In Figure 4 ofthe drawing I have shown a slightmodification in which the; lowerjfeed roller 12a is loosely-mounted upon a constantly rotating supporting shaft 10a with an adjustable slip clutch 39a interposed between theshaft and the roller; The upper'orgdrop'roller 35' is freely joure nalled in its supporting bracket arm which operates as in the preferred form to time the engagement of the rolls with a sheet. The roll 35 in this modified form serves only to engage a sheet against the lower roller, the lower roller in this modified form being the power driven one.

Sheet registering devices now in common use have two steel rollers which have line. or dot contact with the sheet underadjustable spring tension, one of said rollers being positively driven. When the sheet reaches the registering gage with this mechanism, it stops while the positively driven roller continues to rotate upon the stationary surface of the sheet. The contact area of the registering rollers is so minute that the driven roller has a very objectionable frictional wearing action upon the sheet surface even when the minimum of spring tension necessary to register the sheet has been used. On account of the very small area of contact of the rollers with the sheet the pressures build up rapidly and necessitate a very delicate adjustment of the spring tension, even aside from the objectionable marking or injuring of the surface of the sheet.

The improved sheet registering mechanism of the present application does not require the fine adjustment of the commonly used form of registering devices. The registering rollers-of the new mechanism never slip upon the surface of the sheet; the slip occurring in the friction clutch or driving means which is so designed as to assure a large area of contact and of consequent smooth and uniform slip.

I .claim:

1. In a sheet registering mechanism, the combination with an unyielding sheet arresting gage, of cooperating upper and lower moving sheet gripping surfaces movable relatively toward and away from each other to engage and release a sheet, and frictional driving means actuating one of said gripping surfaces, the movement of the sheet gripping surfaces being arrested and the frictional driving means caused to slip by the registry of the sheet against said gage.

2. In a sheet'registering mechanism, the combination with an unyielding sheet arresting gage, of the cooperating upper and lower sheet gripping rollers, one of which is periodically movable toward and away from the other to engage and release sheets, and driving means including a slip clutch acting upon one of said rollers, the movement-of saidrollers'upon the engaged sheet being arrested and said clutch being caused to slip by the resistance of the sheet arrested by said gage.

3. In a sheet registering mechanism, the combination with an unyielding sheet registering gage, of the cooperating upper and lower sheet gripping rollers, one of which is periodically movable toward and away from the other to engage and release sheets, a fixed sheet guiding surface in the-plane of feed of sheets, a movable sheet confining guidingsurface movable toward and away from said fixed guiding surface, driving means including a frictionalslip clutch actuating one of said rollers, and means controlling the movements of said movable roller and said movable sheet guiding surface, said rollers being arrested and said clutch being caused to slip by the arrest of a sheet by said gage.

' FRANK L. CROSS; 

